I changed my project a lot from the beginning of the year, originally I was interested in exploring the psychology of human decision-making, and I am still really interested in that, so it is still a major component of my project, but I decided to focus on environmentalism. Specifically, I am asking the question, "What motivation do people need to make the environment a priority?" I am curious about what influences their decisions, and also what solutions receive the most support.
During one of the march madness weeks, I spent a week in Costa Rica, doing conservation work with sea turtles. It was a miserable experience. The reserve where we worked was in the middle of no where, and after a 3 hour bus ride, we took a 30 minute boat ride across a canal that attracted plenty of mosquitoes and other bugs on it's banks. Since we were avoiding mosquito repellents to protect the ecosystem, I left Costa Rica with more than 3 dozen mosquito bites. After the boat we carried our duffle bags for 20 minutes as we walked through the mud, in the heat, from our boat to our cabin.
Once we got to our cabin, we discovered a lack of AC, electricity of any kind, cell service, waste management, warm water, and mirrors, all modern amenities that are usually more or less expected. Our cabin was less than 100 feet from the ocean, which offered relief from the constant humidity and bugs, but we weren't allowed to swim, to not disturb the marine life or get caught in the extreme riptides.
During the day, we learned about the community and the Leatherback turtles that nested on the beach, and went on hikes to marvel at the incredible biodiversity, and, you guessed it, more bugs. Despite showering myself in insect repellent and wearing long sleeves and pants, I was covered in bites. I saw a poisonus snake called an Eyelash Viper, who's venom can kill you in 2 hours. I took a picture of one from mere inches away, while wondering what was stopping it from lashing out and biting me. The ground was swarming with Bullet Ants, who's bite can send you to the hospital.
And at night, we would take 4 hour hikes on the beach to look for turtles, from 10 pm till 2 am. Leatherbacks can grow to be 6 feet long, but flashlights were prohibited, and the moonlight wasn't strong enough to distinguish them from the sand. Instead, we looked for their tracks, the churned up sand darker than the rest. Sea turtles lay about 50 semi-permiable eggs at a time, in deep holes that they dig with their back flippers, but poaching is a big issue in Costa Rica, and 98% of their eggs, unprotected, get stolen and sold on the black market. So our job was to get their first. When we found a turtle we would lay on our stomach to reach our arms over the hole and hold a plastic garbage bag inside of it, to catch the eggs. Then we would take measurements of the turtle for data, and bring the bag to the egg hatchery.
But even as I complained about the experience and counted down the days till my return flight, I knew that I would miss the reserve the second I left. Working with turtles is a surreal experience, and being able to contribute so directly to conservation efforts feels incredible. Once I got used to the discomforts, I didn't mind it so much. It gave me a new appreciation of what conservation means, the lengths people go to to try to achieve sustainability. The experience isn't for everyone, but I would highly recommend it, because being so close to both the problem and the solution is invaluble in increasing your ability to emphasize. In addition, toursim provides locals with jobs that are better paying, and more sustainable oppertunities. Most of us live and/or go to school/work in New York, we are so disconnected that it is harder for us to prioritize the issue. It was so worthwhile to go, to see the mindset of people who live in a place so much more connected to the environment, and feel the effects of climate change more strongly. They didn't have the resources to become more sustainable by themselves, but they knew it is a step that has to be taken.